If you listen to Joe Rogen’s podcast occasionally, I encourage you to check out his conversation with Michael Shellenberger, author of a book just released called: San Fransicko; Why Progressives Ruin Cities. Shellenberger is certainly a liberal, but he possesses an uncommonly high amount of common sense for one.

Must be a Democrat shit hole thing.

‘Third World’ NYC drug store shelves empty amid shoplifting surge

https://nypost.com/2021/10/09/...d-shoplifting-surge/

Thanks to a citywide shoplifting tsunami, bare necessities are now rare luxuries on drug-store shelves across New York City.

“It looks like the Third World,” bemoaned one Manhattan resident, after eyeing the aisles of a CVS on Sixth Avenue in Soho desperately low of toothpaste, face wash and hand sanitizer, among a long list of other items.

“They’ve all been stolen,” a CVS employee told The Post.

State bail reform laws make shoplifting a promising career option for some New York City crooks. One man, Isaac Rodriguez, 22, of Queens, was arrested for shoplifting 46 times this year alone, The Post exclusively reported last week.

The blame goes straight to the halls of power in Albany, said New York City top cop Dermot Shea.

“Insanity,” the police commissioner tweeted last week in response to The Post report. “No other way to describe the resulting crime that has flowed from disastrous bail reform law.”

Serial shoplifters, even if arrested, typically walk free the same day. Cases against them are often not prosecuted. Drug stores, filled with aisles of small necessities, offer an easy-to-harvest goldmine for thieves.

Rodriguez allegedly stole from Walgreens stores 37 times, lifting everything from protein drinks to soap, baby formula and body lotions, often simply filling up a bag with items then walking out the front door without paying.

There are 77 other thieves right now walking the streets of New York with rap sheets of 20 or more shoplifting charges, NYPD sources say.

As of Sept. 12, the city has seen 26,385 complaints of retail theft — the most ever recorded (going back to 1995). It’s a 32 percent spike from last year (20,024) and 38 percent surge from 2014 (19,166).

Post reporters visited a dozen CVS, Duane Reade/Walgreens and Rite Aid stores around the city and found the same shocking situation in all of them.

Large swaths of barren shelves, in some cases frighteningly empty of almost every imaginable need: cereal, batteries, hand wash, diapers, paper goods and baby formula.

Good luck finding tampons. Each Post visit revealed almost none on the shelves. Displays of relative luxuries such as lipstick and shoe polish also looked neglected.

Only 12 of 57 paper goods listed on price displays at a CVS on 50th Avenue in Long Island City were in stock. About 8 in 10 clothing detergents were missing from the shelves of a Rite Aid on Broadway in Astoria; as were all 27 varieties of Ensure nutrition drinks and all 15 types of Irish Spring soap and body wash.

Two cops stood sentinel inside the doors of the Duane Reade at the corner of Avenue B and East Second Street on the Lower East Side this week.

“There’s a lot of theft here,” one of the officers said, adding that they’ve made guard duty at the store part of their neighborhood patrol efforts.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that retailers are the target of a $45 billion organized crime theft spree, with lifted goods often being resold on Amazon.

I'm a SF native born & raised, 4th gen, I still have family there but, I moved out about 15-years ago. I miss the variety of great restaurants, the neighborhoods and certain shopping for hard to get items but, the changes have been more pronounced over the last 5-6 years. I leave NOTHING exposed in my truck, everything gets taken with me or, I've taken whatever out before departing.

The issue is obvious, the criminal justice system refuses to prosecute shop-lifters. The city has always had vocal Lefties but, they've figured-out a few things over the last few decades, the most significant is getting their types elected into the District Attorneys office. The police can arrest all they want but, if the community's elected legal representative refuses to prosecute, then that's it. Police aren't going to extend themselves only to see their efforts walk-out and do the same thing an hour later. Every, single one of those who've been arrested or, even cited, are MULTIPLE repeat offenders. They know the system, they have legal advocates to excuse their actions and there's little to fear for their actions.

Its truly a bizarro world, the citizens of the city deserve it and they need to feel the pain before changes are made.

Pretty much like downtown Seattle which I never visit anymore. Seattle is another Democrat wasteland...

This is an article on shop lifted items stolen from San Francisco stores by organized theft rings being sold at Oakland flea markets. There are additional news stories of stolen items being sold by sidewalk vendors not far from where they were stolen, and at least one news story in which food was stolen and later served in local restaurants.

In one very real sense, theft is wealth re-distribution. If a government fails to prosecute thieves then it becomes state sponsored wealth re-distribution or, at the very least, state facilitated wealth re-distribution.

[note: there is a video news story of theft, pictures of stolen items being re-sold on vendor tables, and hyperlinks at the linked article]

-----------------------------

Where is SF's boosted merchandise being fenced? Police say check your local flea market

KTVU FOX 2
By Evan Sernoffsky
Published July 19

OAKLAND - While videos of thieves ransacking stores like Neiman Marcus in San Francisco have recently gone viral, it’s everyday items like laundry detergent that have become the plunder of choice for most criminal syndicates in the Bay Area.

Networks of organized thieves are increasingly going after these smaller ticket items – leaving retailers like Walgreens, CVS and Target taking increasing losses, even if reported shoplifting cases overall are decreasing, authorities said.

"They know they can turn it around quickly," said Lt. Scott Ryan, with the San Francisco Police Department’s burglary unit. "Those CVSs, those Walgreens have large displays of toiletries, cosmetics and items like that they’re going after."

KTVU recently visited a flea market in Oakland where law enforcement officials said many shoplifted items are resold. Table after table were filled with toothpaste, deodorant, detergent, razors and other packaged everyday items.

We purchased toothpaste, bodywash, detergent and a razor for $17. All four items would have cost more than $40 in the store. None of the sellers was accused of peddling stolen items, but a Gillette razor had a sticker saying it was intended for sale at a Safeway in Orinda. An employee at the store told KTVU the razor was likely shoplifted.

Resale markets like the one at the Oakland flea market offer a window into the complexity of the Bay Area’s retail theft rackets. Once thieves swipe the merchandise, it usually exchanges hands several times and is then fenced on the street or online.

"They know there’s a demand for those items and they know the fences will commonly buy them from them regularly," Ryan said.

According to the California Retailers Association, organized retail crime makes of about 85% of losses and most are everyday items. Laundry detergent makes up 21% of all boosted merchandise. Razors make up 20%. Other popular targets: deodorant (15%), allergy medicine (13%) and infant formula (13%).

Walgreens has recently shuttered 17 stores in San Francisco, blaming shoplifters for inventory loss. In July, Target announced it was limiting hours in the city due to retail theft.

"This is a multi-million dollar industry," said San Francisco Supervisor Ahsha Safai, who has called on the city to do more to address the problem. "We need a coordinated strategy. If it means inviting in the US Attorney and the FBI, let’s do that."

The San Francisco Police Department already works with law enforcement around the state to combat this type of organized theft. They’ve recovered more than $10 million in stolen items in the past year and a half.

"The reality is our retail thefts are down this year but that doesn’t matter, we need to take care of business," Chief Bill Scott told KTVU.

Scott said he’s recently increased foot patrols in Union Square from two officers to six following the high-profile theft of designer handbags at Neiman Marcus in July.

Mayor London Breed said she’s disappointed that the city is being cast in a negative light with viral videos of thefts being broadcast on national news programs.

"At the end of the day, we see these things happening. it’s unfortunate. they’re going viral and what have you, but we will continue to go after the people who are perpetrating these crimes in our city," she said.

Evan Sernoffsky is an investigative reporter for KTVU. Email Evan at evan.sernoffsky@foxtv.com and follow him on Twitter @EvanSernoffsky

After reading about San Francisco stores closing because of shoplifting, I thought a story about how it's dealt with in Oklahoma may be interesting.

Last Friday night Deputies responded to a shoplifting call in one of our county's smaller towns where a known party walked out with two Mountain Dews and a bottle of water. He was arrested for the misdemeanor crime of theft and brought to jail where he began acting out and causing a disturbance.

We don't have a bond schedule, so arrestees have to have a judge set a bond within 48 hours. On the weekends a jailer has to call the judge and read the probable cause affidavit to him so he can set the bond.

I called our judge on Saturday evening and he set it at $5,000.

I took the young lad up to court yesterday after the new felony charge for damaging public property was added due to what he did to his cell as well as the holding cell Friday night and Saturday morning. That bond was set at an additional $20,000.

I guess criminals should do some research about where it pays to be a criminal and adjust their location accordingly.

^^^^^^^^^
The judge should buy him a one way bus ticket to San Francisco.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
^^^^^^^^^
The judge should buy him a one way bus ticket to San Francisco.

That's part of the problem....there's a lot of buses arriving from all parts, unloading the anti-social and recently released. Friend of mine is head of security at a leading hotel in SF, all the security heads communicate to each other every time a bus shows up at the drop-off spot.

I can imagine any new drug stores having a series of kiosks where you will select what you want, pay for it and receive your goods on the way out. There won’t be anything on the shelves.

SF DA, Chesa Boudin, is the son of convicted terrorists. He was raised by Billy "The Bomber" Ayres. Ayres house is where Saint Braack of the Bolshies launched his presidential campaign.

Chesa is funded by George Soros just like Foxx in Cook County, and the DAs of Baltimore, and St. Louis. That should explain some things, why he is dedicated to destroying America.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politi...francisco-s-n1101071

quote:

That's part of the problem....there's a lot of buses arriving from all parts,

No, that's a consequence of San Franciscos allowing it's officials to implement the current legal situation regarding criminals...

Others sending problems there are the result of SF's lunatic citizen base and politicians desire to turn the city into the worlds most progressive place to live..

They should make their stores like a bank drive through. You pull up, ask for the items, pay, and then the items come out in a big drawer. No inside access to the public.

^^^^^^^↑
I'm one of those customers that prefers going in to a business rather than using the drive-thru. I frequently go in to research pricing, read and compare labels/ ingredients/ parts lists etc.. going in allows me to ask questions and get input. Looking an employee in the eye and explaining a problem can also help when trying to get action on a complaint. If nothing else, going inside gets me out of my vehicle and allows me to stretch my legs, even if only for a few minutes.

I'm also concerned about how increased drive-thru use will encourage ever-deteriorating customer service...

... but, the current theft problem is unacceptable and untenable, and I can easily see future retail stores following your idea, and being designed around the drive-thru service concept.

One of the largest gun stores in the state moved into an old bank with a drive-thru window. During renovations before they moved in, they quickly bricked up the drive-thru window (and use the bank vault to store guns and NFA items)... but I have to admit that I still grin when I fantasize about buying a gun through a drive-thru window.

quote:

They should make their stores like a bank drive through. You pull up, ask for the items, pay, and then the items come out in a big drawer. No inside access to the public.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Joe Pesci won't be using it. Remember they always fuck you through the drive through.

This Southwest Airline pilot has had it with the Bay area too.

San Francisco Target store locks its entire product range behind security glass as crime spirals out of control

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne...-security-glass.html

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
Are there any stores there that carry ammo? Asking for a friend.

LOL. That was funny.

You know, stupid me, I've been seeing a lot more items for sale on CL that are new in box. I'm thinking BS, why sell it you just bought it? What's wrong with it?

Now I realize, it's probably stolen goods.

My brother is a retired police captain in Nor Cal and returned to his old jurisdiction. The CVS has an accordion security fence in the cosmetic and health care isles. Essentially you had to request the product.

Google California Prop. 47 and the devastation heaped upon California residents.

I flew down to SFO last week from Everett, WA. SFO is the only airport serviced by Alaska from Everett vs a trip into SEATAC. Flight was delayed and I arrived into SFO just in time for the evening rush hour conga line. I rented a car at SFO, headed to 80 then up to Napa and St Helena. I hadn't been back for 3 years and noted the increase in Homeless weirdness in Napa.